Election 2020
Updated election results

Published 10:40 pm Thursday, October 1, 2020

The Lincoln County Clerk’s Office has released the unofficial results for the 2020 election.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, voting looked different this year, with several options including mail-in/absentee voting, early voting, election day voting, and provisional voting.

Lincoln County Clerk Sonny Spoonamore said election results will not be official until Nov. 9, to allow for any postmarked ballots to be calculated.

After the unexpected death of Stanford Mayor Scottie Ernst, voters were left to choose a new leader for the city this November.

Stanford residents chose Dalton Miller.

Miller, a current Stanford City Council member, will finish out the late mayor’s term, which ends in 2022.

According to the unofficial results Tuesday night, Miller received a total of 1,043 votes. Peggy Hester, also a current city council member, received a total of 472 votes. Jamie Leigh garnered 67 votes.

Miller was at the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office as election results were announced.

“I feel great,” Miller said. “My goals have not changed; I want to continue on the path that Mayor Ernst was on and I want to see his goals to the end.”

That’s why he ran for mayor, he said.

“I want to thank everyone that came out and voted,” Miller said. “I’ve had support all over town everywhere I’ve went and that means a lot because I’m young in Stanford getting into the politics. I was received on every door I knocked on, everybody I talked to was willing to help support me. I just want to thank everybody because it’s an amazing feeling to know that I’m going to be able to continue Scottie’s (Ernst) legacy to the end of his term.”

There were seven candidates vying for six seats on the Stanford City Council this year. The unofficial results released Tuesday showed a close race for the last seat on the council, with incumbent Naren James ahead of Jason Hignite by only three votes.

Former Mayor Bill Miracle won a seat on the council after receiving the highest number of votes with 890 total.

Incumbent Sara Givens received the second-highest number of votes with 864 total. Incumbent Ronnie Deatherage kept his seat as well with a total of 862 votes.

Former mayor Eddie Carter earned a seat back on the city council with 823 votes.

Paul Joe Tackett will be a new face on the council after garnering a total of 800 votes.

The last open seat on the council, which is subject to change up until Nov. 9. Tuesday’s unofficial results showed Naren James ahead of Jason Hignite by three votes.

Only two candidates filed for seats on the Crab Orchard City Commission. More than 300 write-in votes were received to determine who will fill the remaining two seats on the city commission.

Jerry L. Shelton, a former city commissioner, received a total of 126 votes. Ricky Spoonamore received a total of 104 votes.

The write-in candidates included Bill Dyehouse, Kenny Manuel, and Mike Eldridge.

Manuel received 103 votes. Dyehouse received 101 votes and Eldridge received 91 votes.

All six candidates who filed for Hustonville City Council seats will be sworn in come January.

Former city council member Alan Sims received the highest number of votes with 91 total. Incumbent Jimmy Lane came in second with 88 votes.

Jimmy R. Evans received a total of 82 votes and Richard W. Cooper garnered 80 votes.

Donna Hendricks received 74 votes and Timothy P. Smith received a total of 70 votes.

There were three board of education races on the ballot this November.

Gloria Sneed ran unopposed in the race for the 4th educational district seat. She received a total of 1,011, according to Tuesday’s unofficial results.

In the race for the 5th educational district Etta Meek beat Joe Bratcher with a total of 770 votes to 571.

Bruce Smith, who is currently serving out the term of Theresa Long after she resigned, won the 3rd educational district seat with a total of 1,401 votes. His opponent, William Stafford received 829 votes.

• Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won his re-election bid across the state, as well as in Lincoln County. According to Tuesday’s results McConnell received a total of 7,814 votes in Lincoln County.

His Democratic opponent, Amy McGrath, garnered 2,515 votes in Lincoln and Liberterian Brad Barron received 552 votes.

• Republican Rick Girdler ran unopposed to retain his 15th Senatorial District seat. He received 8,964 votes in Lincoln County as of Tuesday night.

• Republican David Meade also ran unopposed to keep his seat in the 80th Representative District. Meade received a total of 9,220 votes in Lincoln County as of Tuesday night.

• In the race for the 28th Judicial Circuit, 1st Division, Teresa Whitaker led Walter F. McGuire with 6,278 to 2,212 in Lincoln County. The 28th judicial circuit also includes Lincoln, Rockcastle and Pulaski Counties.

• Harold “Hal” Rogers who has served as the 5th Congressional District’s U.S. Representative for 20 terms, beat his opponent Matthew Best in Lincoln County 8,823 to 1,931.

Republican Donald J. Trump handily won Lincoln County with a total of 8,484 votes. Democrat Joseph R. Biden received 2,247 votes and Liberterian Jo Jorgensen received 129 votes.

Independent Kanye West received 23 votes in Lincoln County and Independent Brock Pierce received 18.

•A total of 5,636 people in Lincoln County voted “yes” for the constitutional amendment referred to as the Crime Victims’ rights or Marsy’s Law. A total of 4,033 voted ‘no.’

• Lincoln County voters did not support a second constitutional amendment that would change the Commonwealth’s Attorneys term from six to eight years, as well as change the terms of district court judges from four years to eight years. The amendment also proposes requiring district court judges to have been licensed attorneys for at least eight years.

A total of 6,662 people in Lincoln County voted ‘no’ as of Tuesday night. A total of 3.064 voters supported the amendment.

Stanford voters put an end to prohibition Tuesday night after a total of 1,006 people voted ‘yes’ to the question “Are you in favor of the sale of alcoholic beverages in the City of Stanford, Kentucky?”

A total of 624 people voted ‘no’ as of Tuesday night.